Electrical Safety Check Victoria Rental: What Landlords Must Do Every Two Years

A single missed electrical safety check can expose a Victorian landlord to a maximum penalty of 60 penalty units — $12,546 in the 2026–27 financial year — and a tenant may separately seek compensation through VCAT if a breach causes loss. The obligation has applied since 29 March 2021 for new, renewed, or converted tenancies, and from 13 October 2026 it extends to every active tenancy in Victoria, including legacy leases that started before the 2021 reforms.

What the Law Requires

Under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021, every rental provider must have an electrical safety check carried out every two years (24 months) by a licensed electrician. The check covers all fixed electrical installations: the switchboard, wiring, power points, light fittings, and any hardwired appliances such as cooktops or hot water systems.

The electrician must hold a current licence registered with Energy Safe Victoria (ESV). You can verify any electrician's credentials on ESV's public licence register before booking.

What the Electrician Inspects

A compliant electrical safety check covers several areas:

• Switchboard — circuit breakers must be present (not old ceramic fuses), and Residual Current Devices (RCDs or RCBOs) must protect all power and lighting circuits.
• Wiring condition — checks for deterioration, damage, or non-compliant modifications.
• Power points and light switches — tested for earthing faults and physical damage.
• Fixed appliances — cooktops, ovens, hot water units, and air conditioning systems connected to dedicated circuits.

If the property has a legacy fuse board with ceramic fuses or a federal fuse box, retrofitting RCD modules is not enough. The entire switchboard must be replaced with a modern board that has circuit breakers and RCD protection across all circuits.

The Two Documents You Need

A general trade invoice is not sufficient proof of compliance. You need two specific documents:

1. Electrical Safety Check Report — the detailed findings from the inspection, signed by the licensed electrician.
2. Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) — the formal certificate lodged with Energy Safe Victoria confirming the work meets Victorian standards.

Retain safety-check records for at least five years (or until two subsequent inspection cycles have passed) under the Residential Tenancies Regulations. If these documents form part of the Section 65F evidence that the property met minimum standards before advertising and move-in, retain them for at least seven years.

When the Check Is Due

The two-year clock starts from the date of the last compliant check. If you've never had a check done — common for properties that have been continuously tenanted since before 2021 — arrange one now: since 13 October 2026, the requirement applies to every active tenancy.

For properties already on a two-year cycle, complete the next check within two years of the last one.

What Happens If You Miss It

The penalties stack. Renting a property that doesn't meet minimum standards (Section 65A) carries up to 60 penalty units. Advertising a non-compliant property (Section 65B) carries the same again. Failing to produce compliance records when Consumer Affairs Victoria asks (Section 65F) is a third 60-penalty-unit offence.

Beyond fines, a tenant can apply to VCAT for an urgent repair order under Section 72 if the electrical installation is unsafe, and can arrange repairs up to $2,500 themselves if you don't respond.

How to Stay on Track

Keep a simple calendar reminder 23 months after each check so you have a month's buffer to book the next one. File the Electrical Safety Check Report and COES together with the property's compliance records — either digitally or in a physical compliance binder — and note the next due date.

The Rental Minimum Standards in Victoria guide includes a multi-year compliance calendar that tracks electrical, gas, smoke alarm, and pool barrier deadlines in one place, so nothing slips between cycles.

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